If my opponent targets my 2 Might unit with Gust, and I respond by buffing it to 4 Might with Discipline, does Gust still return my unit to hand?

Question

Accepted Answer

No. If you play Discipline in response and it resolves first, raising the unit from 2 to 4 Might, Gust will not return that unit to hand when it later resolves.

When Gust was placed on the chain it created a targeting relationship to the chosen unit, but a spell’s instructions are evaluated using the game object’s current properties as it resolves. Units are evaluated by their current Might [710]. If Discipline resolves first and the unit’s Might becomes 4, the unit no longer satisfies "a unit at a battlefield with 3 [M] or less," so the instruction to return it cannot be carried out and is ignored per the rules on partially executable instructions [359.3.e.11]. The targeting relationship persists while the unit remains on the board [FAQ:unleashed#22] [359.3.e.3], but that does not force Gust to ignore the current Might check when it resolves. If the unit had been moved to a non‑board zone before resolution, the interaction would be handled under the rule about checks returning null [359.3.e.12].

Opponent plays Gust targeting your 2 Might unit; targeting relationship is created while Gust is on the chain [FAQ:unleashed#22] [359.3.e.3]. You play Discipline in response; Discipline resolves first and gives the unit +2 Might, making it 4 Might this turn [710]. Now Gust resolves. It attempts to execute the instruction 'Return a unit at a battlefield with 3 [M] or less to its owner's hand.' The unit is on the board but no longer has 3 or less Might, so the instruction cannot be executed and is ignored [359.3.e.11]. Because the unit remained on the board, the targeting relationship persisted, but the current Might check prevents Gust from returning it.

If you had played Discipline before the opponent finalized targeting with Gust (i.e., before they placed Gust on the chain or during its finalization), then Gust likely could not legally target that unit at finalization because it wouldn't meet the '3 or less' requirement. If the unit was moved to a non‑board zone (hand, deck, banish) after being targeted but before Gust resolves, the game's checks about that target's Might become null and the interaction is resolved under [359.3.e.12]; e.g., Gust would not be able to refer to the unit's Might. If Discipline raised the unit's Might back down below or equal to 3 (via other effects later in the chain) before Gust resolved, then Gust could return it when it resolves, because targeting relationships can become legal again while on the chain [359.3.e.3].

When a player casts Gust choosing your 2 Might unit, that creates a targeting relationship to that unit while Gust is on the chain [FAQ:unleashed#22]. However, when a card's instructions actually resolve the game evaluates units by their current Might [710]. You responded by playing Discipline, which resolves first and gives the unit +2 Might, making it 4. Now when Gust resolves it attempts to carry out the instruction 'Return a unit at a battlefield with 3 [M] or less to its owner's hand.' Because the unit is still on the board but no longer meets the '3 or less' condition, the instruction cannot be executed and is ignored under the "partially followed instructions" rule [359.3.e.11]. The fact that the spell originally targeted the unit does not force the resolution to bypass the current‑state check; targeting relationships persist while the target remains on the board [359.3.e.3] [FAQ:unleashed#22], but resolution uses current properties [710]. If instead the unit had been removed from the board to a non‑board zone before Gust resolved, the check about its Might would return null and be handled under [359.3.e.12], which is a different outcome.